Overview
- Flash PMI reports released Thursday showed the eurozone slipping back into decline even as Japan and India posted strong factory gains.
- The eurozone composite index fell to 48.6 as services dropped to 47.4, while manufacturing rose to 52.2 on clients bringing purchases forward.
- Japan’s manufacturing PMI jumped to 54.9, a four‑year high, as firms lifted output to guard against supply risks tied to the Middle East conflict.
- India’s composite PMI climbed to 58.3 with hiring at a 10‑month high, and companies built inventories to hedge against shortages and rising input costs.
- Cost pressures surged, with eurozone input prices at multi‑year highs and a record month‑to‑month jump in the UK, raising a hard trade‑off for central banks.